Bound Souls
by dani-chan3
Summary: Two people, bound since childhood.
1. chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **      _*Camera zooms in at a figure sneaking out of a room, hefting a huge bag over it's shoulder.* _   
**DANI-CHAN:** Ha HA! I have stolen the whole of the Ranmaverse! I own them now!_ *laughs a manic laughter as lightning flashes in the background*_   
**KENSHIN: ** Oro?! **  
DANI-CHAN:** Kenshin! How'd you get here?!_ *shrugs and tosses Kenshin into the bag with the rest*_   
  
There! Can I say I own them now? _*sigh*_ Obviously not... _*slumps off*_   
  
  
**a/n:**     Post-Manga, obviously... An AU, I s'pose... Kinda gonna copy off "A Chance of Change" by Pia-san. I LOVE that story, and she hasn't been updating for such a long time! So so so so so sorry pia-sama! *sobs* Forgive me if i kinda copied off you! You're AU is sooooooo nice! *batts eyelashes*     This will HOPEFULLY not turn into a one-shot, people.     Oh, and sorry in advance if I get some of the info wrong... not that big an expert on the Ranmaverse... Tell me ASAP if something's wrong, I'd appreciate it a lot... But please DO take note that this is an AU, thus, a lot of things WILL be changing and there will be some things excluded. MAN! I'm really weird and messed up, aren't I? And, I've also decided not to give a sequel to "Their Language." Teehee. Sorry about that! I TRIED to make one, honest! Nothing worked... *sigh.*Oh, and one last thing... review, ne?   
  
...that was a LONG note...  
  
  
_thoughts _   
**_flashback_**     --> just in case some one wondered.... ü   
  
  
  
Onwards!   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**Bound Souls**  
by: dani-chan   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    _How beautiful._     A figure in a pair of shorts and a tank top jogged out to the park. Her dark hair gleamed in the sunlight, making it seem more like a different shade than the dark blue it was.     Tendo Akane, 17 years old. A junior at the Furikan Highschool, located just a few blocks from the park._ She's so beautiful. _   
  
    Akane turned around, feeling someone's eyes at her. Seeing no one, she shrugged her shoulders and turned back around and resumed her early morning jog.     It was like this every morning, getting up at before dawn, jogging to warm herself up and then going back to the dojo to do some katas. The only problem was that it had dulled to a boring routine.     She sighed and headed back home. She decided that she'd go to school and help organize the annual spring fair this time. She had nothing else to do, after all. She started jogging towards the school but then pulled into an abrupt stop. She turned around and jogged back to her home. _After a few katas._   
  
~*~*~  
  
    Ranma sat outside the school, drumming his fingers against the table. It was just his luck that he had to stay in school every Saturday for some classes. Needless to say, his third year Math grade was NOT good.     He sighed and leaned his head on a hand, looking out the window. And he saw her.     His mind went blank.     ...     Then she was gone.     "MR. SAOTOME?!" the teacher thundered. Ranma looked up at him, still dazed from what he saw.     "Huh?"     The teacher sighed. "It's time to go, Mr. Saotome. I don't suppose you're the type who likes staying after class. After all, I've had the pleasure of your company for a week already."     Ranma was already out the door before he even finished his last sentence. _She's here._   
  
    Ranma ran down two flights of steps, and into the cafe. _Nope, not here._ He sat down, exhausted. He had been looking for her for 10 minutes already. She wasn't in any place that seemed probable for her to be in here in school.     _Why was she here anyway? _She didn't need Saturday classes, she was at the top of her class. And he knew that all she ever did during Saturdays was train. He sighed as he leaned his head on his arms. _What a lost cause I am._   
  
~*~*~  
  
    Akane strolled into the cafe, sparing a glance at the boy sitting at a nearby table, who had just thunked his head into his arms. Then she headed towards the vendo to get herself a drink.     She put in some change and pressed a button. _Boy, I'm starting to wonder if this spring fair thing is gonna be worth soothing my boredom away._ The machine whirred a gave out a dull clunk below.     She fished her water bottle out of the slot and started walking out. _I've been back here for two years already, and I still haven't remembered how hot some days here in Japan can be. _She twisted the bottle cap open and took a long sip.   
  
~*~*~  
  
    Ranma got up, deciding that he was NOT going to mope around all day. He gathered his things and turned around, and bumped into someone. He dropped his things and a water bottle fell out of nowhere and spilled all over his papers. _My homework!_     He scowled and looked up to glare at the person who bumped into him.     The person was obviously a she, and she was now on her knees muttering "sorry," a thousand times over. Ranma sighed. And kneeled down next to her after grabbing a couple of tissues. Then he looked up at her.     And his mind went blank. It was her.   
  
~*~*~  
  
    Akane was taking that long sip when someone suddenly rose and bumped into her. She gave out a squeak of surprise as her water bottle slipped out of her grasp and fell.     Onto the papers on the floor.     _Oh, shit._     She fell to her knees muttering apologies all the while. The other person finally got down and handed her a couple of tissues. For a few minutes, they tried to dry the wet papers.     Akane noticed that she was the only one trying to dry them. The other pair of hands had stopped working. So she looked up. And was shocked.     The world spinned around and she remembered.   
  
~*~*~  
  
    How come he had never noticed it before? How come he only noticed NOW, that this was the girl he had grown up with? All those years of playing pretend marriage with that little girl with the boyish bob, and only when they were on their knees again, did he realize it was her.     "'Kane-chan."   
  
~*~*~  
  
    What were the odds that the most sought after guy at school was her childhood playmate? She knew him, saw him everyday. Never talked of course, but that was understandable. He was popular.     She could still remember that day. They were about to leave for America.   
  
    **_Akane stared at the boy in front of her. He was avoiding her eyes, looking down at his shoes and kicking at the grass.     "You're really leaving? As in forever an' ever?" he asked quietly.     "I don't know 'bout the forever an' ever part, but yeah, we're leaving."     A pause. Someone sniffled, but neither knew who it was anymore, at that point.     "'Ka-kane-chan?"     "Hai?"     "Will you forget about me?"     She stared at him then threw her arms around him, knocking them both onto the grass. "Never!"     He pushed her off, and they both knelt down, tiny hands reaching out to clasp together. He sighed and leaned his head against hers. "Promise?" his voice breaking.     "Promise."     It started raining. And now, instead of a little boy across her, a redheaded girl stared at her. They sighed and stood up. Then they walked to Tofu's clinic for some hot water.   
  
    They stayed in the clinic 'till afternoon, waiting until the rain stopped. It finally did, and so they went out and climbed onto the top of the jungle gym in the park. They laid down and stared at the clouds. Trying in vain to forget the rest of the world.     A honk.     Akane closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry.     Before she knew it, she was on the ground, Ranma staring at her with those big blue eyes.     She sniffed and wiped away the tear quickly.     "Hey! Tomboys don't cry!"     "Ran-ran no baka!" she sobbed, grabbing him into a fierce hug.     "Don' cry 'Kane-chan... You'll come back right?"     "I... I'll miss you, baka!" 
_**  
  
    His voice brought her back to the present. "'Kane-chan."     She couldn't help the waver in her voice as she said his name. "Ran-ran."     A tear slid down her cheek.   
  
~*~*~  
  
**_    Hey! Tomboys don't cry!"     "Ran-ran no baka!" she sobbed, grabbing him into a fierce hug.     "Don' cry 'Kane-chan... You'll come back right?"     "I'll miss you, baka."   
  
    She never did say if she was going to come back. She got into her car and only when it started moving did Ranma realized something.   
  
~*~*~  
  
    
___****Ranma chased after her car, running until it hurt. It hurt to run and cry at the same time.**   
  
    At training, Dad said I was weak. He said that I was slow. I thought I was fast enough, strong enough. I didn't believe him 'till then.     I never got the chance to tell he that I would miss her too. Ranma no baka.     He wiped away the tear that slid down her cheek. "Tomboys don't cry!" he exclaimed softly. They laughed quietly.      Then he said so quietly, she barely heard him, "I thought you said you wouldn't forget about me..."   
~*~*~  
  
    **_ She never did say if she was going to come back. She got into her car and only when it started moving did Ranma realized something.     He was bound.
_**   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
TBC...   
  
  
  
  
  
  
Wahahahahhahaha! mini cliff hanger!   
Review, ne? I'm starting on the second chappy already! ^_^   
Oh yeah, Pia-san? Tell me if it's bothering you. I'll take it down if it is.   
Sorry if this chapter is so short... I'll make the next one longer, promise! @_@   
  
     SOMEONE! I NEED HELP! What was the name of Akane and Ranma's friends at Furikan? Hiroshi and Daisuke? And Yuka and Sayuri? Is that right?   
  
Anyway...   
Ja ne, minna-san!   
  
**DANI-CHAN: **Clickety click click. Onegai? _*does puppy dog look* _Pweety pweety pweeaase?   
**KAORU:**_*looking a nice putrid shade of green* _Dani-san! Please! You could never pull it off!   
**DANI-CHAN: **Ha HA! Another one! _*Grabs Kaoru and stuffs her into the bag.*_     BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!   
  
  
click it. 


	2. chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **      Why is it that author's have to repeat disclaimers time and time again! You could just go to the past chapters and see the disclaimer there! Hmph. Well, since I haven't properly disclaimed anything... I don't own anything!!! *sob* Even the plot isn't entirely mine. Feh.   
**RANMA:** Isn't that my word?   
**DANI-CHAN: ** Just keep talking, Ranma and I'm gonna make you SUFFER in this fic. **  
RANMA:**_ *face faults onto the floor*_   
  
**a/n:**      I wonder... Are the things I'm writing considered angsty? Hmmmmm. What DEFINES angst anyway?     Oh yeah, lotsa flashy backs here... ehehehehehe. To clear up on the weird parts and all. Actually it just seems to be adding to the confusion... @_@     Okay... about the flashback scenes... There's gonna be a LONG one at the end of this chapter (sorry to spoil it.) and no one's remembering it. I just took it out and showed it to you, okay? everyone got that? No one is having a flashback there. There's even a tiny narration. So, I repeat. THAT WAS NOT A FLASHBACK. Just a scene from the past i picked out and plopped here. ^_^ oooooh. spoiled it! Gomen!     Yeah, well the last chapter was just to set the scene... things get a bit juicier here. Hehe. Review, minna-san! (-.-)   
  
  
_thoughts _   
**_flashback_**   
::panda signs::   
diary entries     --> just in case you haven't figured it out...   
  
  
  
Onwards!   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**Bound Souls**  
by: dani-chan   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    _**She never did say if she was going to come back. She got into her car and only when it started moving did Ranma realized something.     He chased after her car, running until it hurt. It hurt to run and cry at the same time.
**  
  
    At training, Dad said I was weak. He said that I was slow. I thought I was fast enough, strong enough. I didn't believe him 'till then.     I never got the chance to tell he that I would miss her too. Ranma no baka. 
_     He wiped away the tear that slid down her cheek. "Tomboys don't cry!" he exclaimed softly. They laughed quietly.     Then he said so quietly, she barely heard him, "I thought you said you wouldn't forget about me..."   
    **_He was bound._**   
  
~*~*~  
  
    Then he said so quietly, she barely heard him, "I thought you said you wouldn't forget about me..."     Akane leaned into his hand, placing her hand over his. She took a big shuddering breath and opened her eyes.     "You promised," he said. A small smile played at the corner of his mouth.     _He's still the same arrogant bastard._ She laughed softly. "Ranma no baka. I didn't forget."     "Hmph." He smiled. "You could've fooled me." They laughed. Then, it finally faded away to an awkward silence.     "So..."     "..."     "Ranma?"     "Hai?"     "My feet are getting cramped."     "Oh! Sorry." He took away his hand, making Akane almost cry out for the lack of contact. Then he stood and helped Akane stand. Then he crouched down to gather their things and handed her her water. "Well, I'd better be going." He shuffled his papers and gave her a lopsided smile. "Bye Akane."     She looked down. "Bye." She tucked a stray hand of hair behind her ear and sighed.     _This time it's him who'll be leaving me. What did you expect, baka? He's POPULAR. He won't give you the time of day just because you were his childhood buddy.     Is that all I am to you, Ranma? Your childhood buddy? She choked back a sob. I don't know why or how, but even then... You were so much more, even then.
_   
  
    Ranma turned to leave. _Damn it. Damn it to hell. _He looked back at her, seeing her forlorn figure on the cafe bench. How he could just walk away after all those years, he didn't know how he did it. But he paused at the cafe door and stared at her. _Why does it feel like this? Why does it hurt?_     She chose that moment to look up. _Akane. I missed you. _A lump formed at his throat.     He didn't seem to be there in himself as his own feet carried him back to her and as he heard himself ask, "Wanna have lunch at my house?"     She laughed lightly. Music to his ears. "Ok Ranma." Then she turned to grab her things. She gave a peculiar look as she took her water bottle. He knew what she was thinking. _Boy, is she in for a surprise._     Then she turned to him and sprinkled him with what was left in it.   
  
    A very amused Ranma stared at her. She was shocked._ The curse is gone. _     She laughed and threw her arms around him. "I can't believe it!" She pulled back and they laughed. "What happened?"     "Damn, I have so much to tell you. So much happened to me after you left."     "... I know what you mean."_ So much happened to me too._   
  
~*~*~  
  
    Ranma stared at the ceiling in his room. _11 years. _It had been 11 long years since he last saw her. He was 5 and she was 4 when they first met.   
  
    _**Ranma ran down the street, ecstatic at this newfound freedom. His father had taken him to start training a year ago and after that incident in Jusenkyo, decided that he would temporarily delay the serious training, done away from home.     They returned to his mother and settled down with her here in Kyoto.     He bumped into someone and they fell to the soft grass beside the sidewalk.     Ranma bounced back up and looked down to see a small girl staring at the pavement. She wasn't moving. Not even crying like other girls would have, just sitting there. No reaction at all.     "You okay? Sorry 'bout this. I'm Ranma! What's your name?"     "Ak-kane," it was whispered, loud enough to just be heard.     "Hi 'Kane!" Ranma was simply all smiles today.     "Hi," came the sniffled reply.     She looked up. And the softest cinnamon brown, faintly red and brimming with tears, met his blue-grey eyes.   
  
    I've seen those eyes before.   
  
    "Why're ya cryin'?" he asked softly.     "My mommy... she," she choked out. Big fat tears started falling from her eyes.     "Don' cry!" he said, alarmed. He dropped to his knees and crawled towards her, then he put his arms around her, startling even himself. "Don' cry," he said again, this time more softly. And without knowing it, he knew what had happened. It had happened before.     She sniffled and they stayed that way until she fell asleep, it began to drizzle, and so Ranma-chan dragged the sleeping girl to under a nearby bridge.     When Akane woke up, the first thing she saw was a redheaded girl. Ranma was nowhere to be foung. The redhead smiled sheepishly and said, "I'm Ranma." She laughed, embarrassed. "Sorry 'bout this."   
  
     Deja vu.   
  
    
**_ That was the first time they met. He had just moved back in with his mother, and her mother had just died. They bonded over that Ranma's curse. When she left two years later, he had become a hollow shell.     He didn't know why he was so affected. Neither did anyone else. Who would've thought that this childhood friend of his would make such a huge impact on his life?     His dad decided it was time to resume training. His son had become too soft, and too empty. And so they left.     He came back when he was 16, returned to his mother. His honor was still intact, his full manhood was returned. But he was still empty. As strong and as fast and as good as he was in performing the Art, he was still empty.     _I never realized that 'till now._   
  
~*~*~  
  
    Tendo Akane walked slowly back to her home from Ranma's that night. She went up the stairs, went to her room and sat down on her bed. _He's back._     She couldn't figure it out. So what if her old childhood pal was back? Why did it bring back so many memories and a feeling that overwhelmed her? She sighed and let herself fall back onto her bed.     So many things had happened when they left for America. She and her dad started training again. They had stopped when her mother died, but since they opened a dojo there, they had started again. It had felt good. She improved and all the while she thought how strong and fast Ran-ran would be by now.     She was a fast learner, but so was he.     Every punch, every kick, every kata. She remembered the little boy. Until it faded into a dull routine and she forgot about him. Stored him in her subconscious.     But he was back.     Akane got up and dressed, heading to the dojo to train for a while before dinner. She went in a closed the door and began her kata, the little boy in her mind.     _I never realized, never noticed how empty it was._   
  
~*~*~  
  
    Akane walked through the cafe the next day and sat down beside Yuka and Sayuri. She sighed and picked up her chopsticks and began eating her sushi. While Yuka and Sayuri enthustiastically talked about the upcoming Senior Hall, she sat and moped, thinking about how she shouldn't have joined in the organization committee for the Annual Spring Fair.     _Dammit. I shouldn't have joined. Baka baka baka._     "If you keep on staring at your food like that, it'll probably melt." Akane turned around until she was face to face with the speaker.     "Hey," she said, giving him a little peck on his cheek. She moved over and let him sit down beside her.     "What's up? You were giving your sushi THE death glare."     She sighed exasperatedly. "I shouldn't have joined the orgcom for the Annual Spring."     "You joined? Hey, that's great! I heard that those who're organizing that'll be in charge of Senior Hall, too!"     Akane only groaned in response. "I could kill you."     "If you say so. And it's true, anyhow," he grinned. Then he got up and placed a tender kiss onto her forehead. "I gotta go, anyways. See you later, sweets?"     Akane rolled her eyes at his 'endearment' and pushed the laughing man away. "Bye Ryouga."   
  
~*~*~  
  
    Ranma sat at the other side of the cafeteria, his eyes trained on the girl as she pushed away her boyrfriend._ Hibiki._ He had known him since childhood also. They never did get along, even then. Ryouga had always liked Akane, but back then, she never liked him. Around a year after she came back from America, they became an item     It made people wonder since Ryouga just broke up with Akari. And these days, the two, Ryouga and Akari that is, were often seen at the sidelines, hiding, doing something that suspiciously looked like snogging._ I'll kill him if he is and if he hurts her._     But then again, why should he care about her? Why should he care if she was about to be hurt when she was just a kid he knew a long time ago? Besides, he was the most sought-after guy in school. He was popular. He was the best at the Art here. Girls flocked at him like crows.     _So why can't I have the one girl I DO like? _He sighed and leaned his head on one hand, his eyes never leaving the girl as she ate and laughed with her friends.     "Hey, man! Lighten up! You look like your dog died or something."     "And he doesn't even HAVE a dog!" Hiroshi laughed at Daisuke. They started snorting with laughter until they realized that Ranma wasnt joining with them. Daisuke looked at Hiroshi and sat down beside Ranma, putting his arms around him. Then he looked at where Ranma was staring and saw her, too.     "Ahhhh. Yes, great choice, man," he told him softly. "If it hadn't been her, for years already!" Then he laughed, pushing Ranma playfully.     "Give it up Ranma. I know she's smart and pretty and all," Hiroshi told him, "but she has a boyfriend."     "..." Ranma refused to say anything. But his friends pressed on.     "So why are you so persistent about her? Three years already, man. THREE."     "THREE, and you still have about fifteen girl stalkers, and at least fourty crushing you silently. Only a bit slack on our first year, but still good."     "You haven't had a girlfriend since she came."     "People are starting to think you're gay."     "What IS with the chick, man?"     _It goes on and on and on. Every damned day. Do you think I know why, myself? _Then he said, ever so softly, "She was my childhood friend, did you know that?"     "..."     "What'd he say?"     Ranma sighed. _Figures._ "Nothing. What made you guys think I like a tomboy like her?"     "..."     He rolled his eyes. "I never DID mention or talk about her, did I?."     "..."     "Hn. He's right."     "Ok, maybe it's the chick she's always with? What's her name?"     "Oh, Yuka, right. She's hot."     "Nah, I meant Sayuri, she's hotter, man."     Ranma only rolled his eyes._ Here we go again._   
  
~*~*~  
  
     Akane looked at her Chemistry test, her mind a blank. She knew that she shouldn't be mooning over someone during a test. What made it worse was that it wasn't her boyfriend she was mooning over. It was Ranma.     _Ranma Saotome. _What was it about him that made her positively enthralled? She, for the life of her own, could not decipher what it was._ Ran-ran._     She sighed and braced herself, then began answering the test.   
  
    She headed towards the library, intent on using her free period to fix up some things for the Spring fair. She didn't want to spend any weekends staying up late for it. She went to locker and spun her combination. As she popped it open a note and a couple of flowers fell out. Written on a sheet torn out from a notebook and a couple of dandelions plucked out from the field.     Akane rolled her eyes. _How insensitive. _She knew that Ryouga knew that dandelions were weeds. She sighed and read the note. It was scribbled hastily and Akane had a bit of a problem deciphering the words. A brief something saying how much he loved her.     _Feh. _She'd rather that he'd not do those things than try and in the process, disdain her with his insensitivity. She crumpled it up and threw the weeds and the note into a nearby trash can. Then she gathered her things up and headed for the library.     Once she got there, she went to an empty table and sighed. _Ryouga Hibiki. _He was always like that these days. She barely saw him, and he tried to make it up by giving her the cheapest things. Dandelions frequented her lockers, as did the leftover chocolates his mom always makes for him. He always canceled out on dates at the last minute and he hardly called her anymore. Akane sighed.     There was a time she truly felt his love. He put roses in her locker as often as he could, putting notes which were in cards or printed out from his computer in the most beautiful manner. He called her every possible minute at home and was usually five minutes early for each date.     _I guess that the love just isn't there anymore. I've to break it soon._ She sighed again and opened her notes to the 'expenses' page. Just her luck to be assigned to that and a few hundred other things.   
  
~*~*~  
  
    Ranma froze when she came in the library. It didn't matter since she probably didn't see him. But when she sat down at the table behind him, directly behind his chair, he couldn't breathe. _What the hell is the matter with me?!_     He didn't know why he was like this. He didn't love her as his mom had concluded. He didn't even know if they were still friends or not. She just... enthralled him. And knowing that she was his playmate around a decade ago didn't explain why he was. It didn't even make him feel anything except that say that what he was feeling for her was right. How messed up am I? I don't even make sense in my own mind!     He turned around slowly, her back now in his view. She was hunched over the table, and punching furiously on the calculator, muttering incomprehensible things all the while. He leaned in closer to hear.     "Shouldn' have joined the committee... Ahrg. How am I s'posed to know how much we should spend on flowers? Ugh... Weeds! Ryouga, I am going to wring your neck if you don't show up later! Ahm... Booth costs... 10,000 yen... minus entrance fee per student... That's 1,000 times 300 minus 10,000..." She pressed a few buttons. "AUGH! I shouldn't have joined! Baka baka baka baka baka baka."     Ranma chuckled. _She hasn't changed much, has she?_   
  
~*~*~  
  
    Akane was troubling over some of the financing issues for the fair. Apparently, whoever did the math here, was not very good at estimating, much less, using a simple calculator. "Baka baka baka baka baka baka," she muttered angrily.     "Glad to know you finally know it yourself," a voice over her shoulder whispered at her. Akane whirled around angrily, fist clenched, prepared to sock the whoever it was to the high heavens above. He caught her fist as it whirled towards him. "Still as short-tempered as ever, 'Kane-chan?" he inquired, tilting his head, a smirk gracing his face.     "Ran-ran," she exclaimed softly, surprised. A pained look replaced the smirk.     "Uhhhh. I think it'd be best if you didn' call me that anymore."     Akane laughed at him and smirked. "Hai."     "Ya know, you should be happy you joined the committee instead of griping about it."     "Oh, really? Mind telling me why?" _Was I really complaining THAT loudly?_     "Well, for one thing, we wouldn't have met again if you hadn't gone here last Saturday for the committee meeting." A self-satisfied smirk settling on his features.     Akane laughed inwardly. _Oh you arrogant thing._ "OH. Is that s'posed to be a GOOD thing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.     He blinked.   
  
~*~*~  
  
    She laughed at him. He smiled slightly and after a few moments joined her in her mirth. It was fun until the librarian ushered them both out.     "Feh. Oh, well. Sorry for gettin' you kicked outta there," he said, putting his arms behind his head.     "Oh, don't worry. I doubt I could've done anything anyway." He sighed, staring at her pretty face. He didn't want to part ways yet. "Wanna go out for a walk? My period is free."     _Thank you, kami. _He fought back a large grin. "Okay."   
  
    They stopped at Akane's locker, leaving her things there, then went out of the school building.     Everything was fine, they both got along, continuing the catching up they did last Saturday. It was fun, the talk was interesting... But as they walked by the field, Ranma saw the most awful thing. Underneathe the bleachers on the other side of the field was Ryouga and Akari. Locked together at the lip. _So the rumors were true..._     He was relieved. That meant he could have Akane now. He blinked._ Akane! _She didn't know. She'd be heart broken if she found out._ Fucking hell. What the fuck do I do?!?_   
  
~*~*~  
  
     Akane was confused. She had been talking with Ranma when he suddenly stopped and stared. Yes, it was at her direction, but it went past her and over her shoulder. She took a step towards Ranma and waved her hand in front of his face. When he snapped out of her reverie, she turned to look at what he was staring at.     "NO!" he cried out. He took her arms gently and spun her around to face him again.     "Wha-" she stared at him. He looked angry and panicked at the same time. "Are you okay Ranma?"     "Yeah, let's go," and he dragged her off to the cafeteria._ Ranma... _She stared at his stricken expression. _What's wrong?_   
  
~*~*~  
  
    **_"Okay. So we're married and you have to go work and I'll stay here and wash the dishes!"     "Okay." They play pretend for a while until a small girl shows up. "Ucchan! We're playing pretend! Wanna join?"     "Okay Ranchan!" A huge smile on her face.     "Hey, husband! I didn' say that SHE could come and join us!" A red-faced Akane thunders at him, her small hands on her hips.     "..."     "I can be the wife!" Ranma flinched when Ukyou said that.     "NO WAY!" A small mallet and a small spatula materialized. The two girls glare at each other.     "Maybe I can be the maid and you two can be married!" The two girls turn around to glare at Ranma instead. "Uhhhh," stalling for time as he backs up. "A wife," he gestured towards Akane, "and," he looks at Ukyou, "a friend?" he tries.     Ukyou begins to roll up her sleeves and begins to advance towards him. Akane gives him a sweet smile that melts his heart. Confused by the feeling, he trips over his own feet and lands on his butt. He groans and rubs it, then he looks up and sees his other friend's face.     "Ranma! You made 'Kane-san mad!" he yelled.     "Ryouga! I didn' do anythin'!"     "D'you wanna fight me or not?!"     Ranma bit his lip as he stood up. Akane would kill him if he did. They both knew that he was stronger than Ryouga.     "Or not," he says, earning another big smile from Akane. He gives her a big smile then runs off, "Seeya guys later!"     "COWARD!!!"   
  


~*~*~

  
     "Ran-ran!" she cried. She held onto his the sleeve on little arm, begging him to stay.     "I can't 'Kane-chan. Dad wants us to train. And of course to look for the Nannichuan." he sighs.     "Can't I come?" He only rolled his eyes at that and stuck out his little tounge at her.     "What d'you think?"     "Fine!" she sniffled. "For how long will you leave me, then?" The small girl was on the verge of tears.     "..."     "Ran-ran?"     "I don't know." At that, she let go of his sleeve and ran away. Unable to prevent the fat tear that slid down his small face, he yelled after her, "You better be here when I come back, tomboy!"   
  
     He went to her house that night, just across the street. He climbed up the trellis and knocked softly on her window. Her sister, Kasumi might wake up if he knocked too loudly.     "Ran-ran!" she whispered softly.     "'Kane-chan," he whispered back. "Please don' be mad at me."     She sniffed and put her small arms around his neck, hugging him to her. "I'm not."     "Will you... Will you be here when I come back?" he asked, pushing her away.     "Hai. I don' care how long it takes, Ran-ran. I don' care."   
  


~*~*~

  
     Ranma and his father left for China the next day. A few days later, they were in the forest in the middle of kami-knows-where when they bumped into this small woman.     "N-nani?!" Ranma exclaimed. He turned around and saw the small old lady he almost stepped on. "Gomen!"     "It's alright," she replied, squinting at him. "Hmmm." A panda came up behind her and held up a sign saying, ::Who's that?::     Ranma shrugged and the two continued sparring. It wasn't long after that that the woman suddenly came in between them and punched both of them in the face at the same time.     Ranma barely dodged the attack but fell into a nearby river in the process. His dad got slammed into a tree. Ranma-chan sat up and exclaimed at the old woman peering down at him, "What was that about?!"     "Hmmm. How old are you, boy?"     "Six," he glared at her. "Why?"     "Only six! My, my, my..."     ::What's all this about?!::     "I dunno! I don' even know her!" The small crinkled lady turned around and examined the panda.     "Your son?" A nod from the panda. "Jusenkyo?" Another nod, this one more sheepish. "I can get you a cure."     "REALLY?! HOW?"     "Be part of the Amazon Tribe. We need new blood."   
  


~*~*~

  
     And it started there. He stayed with the tribe for 2 months with his father. During the stay, he gained two friends: Xian Pu and Muu Xu, the only two kids in the tribe who also had Jusenkyo curses.     When time came that they were to be handed the Nannichuan and they went to Cologne, the old lady they met. The small, old lady smiled at the nickname Ranma had given him, but her smile faded to a disappointed and sad look when she told them that she could not give it to them.     ::NANI?! DOUSHITE?!::     "Tha' ain't fair!"     "You have grown empty, Ranma. I do not know what it is you forgot, but we cannot have you empty. Your soul must be bound here, to the Amazon. But it seems as if it was bound to something else."     ::Bound?::     "Bound?" The small boy could not understand. He was merely six years of age, after all.     "Bound," she affirmed with a nod. "Begone and return to what binds you. But return with whatever it is here, so that you may join us."     "Bound."     ::Bound?::   
  


~*~*~

  
     And they returned after the training. Ranma was faster and stronger, due to the partial training Cologne gave him. But he still could not get it. Bound? What did it mean?     He relayed what happened to Akane. She nearly strangled him to death when he told her about his joining the tribe. She had clutched the lapels of his shirt and shaked him back and forth, screaming, "YOU GONNA LEAVE ME?! FINE! GO THERE AND BE WITH YOUR PRECIOUS XIAN PU! OR GO TO UCCHAN! SEE IF I CARE!!!"     But she had eventually quieted down when he threatened not to tell her everything. And he told her about his being 'bound.'     "What does tha' mean?" she asked him, scratching her head.     "Dunno."     They were sitting there on the floor of the Tendo dojo, thinking, when Akane figured it out.     "Wait here Ran-ran!" Then she scurried off to her room. She returned a bit later, walking slowly, holding something in her outstretched hands as if it were a very fragile and precious thing.     "What's that?" Blue-grey eyes widening in curiousity.     "It's my mom's diary..." A revered silence followed. "I remember Kasumi-oneechan readin me somethin 'bout bein 'bound' here."     They leafed through it cautiously until they ended up in a page with a slip of paper in between the pages.     The journal entry read:   
  
29 February 2016   
  
I am bound to the right man. I finally know it. I cannot help but think how fortunate and how unfortunate I am. Especially since I read that prophecy.   
  
  


  
"Five generations of correctly bound so rare,   
In the land, only five of these kind.   
So clasp your hands, in silent pray'r,   
That it will not be you who will bind.   
  
For the fifth kind of five correctly bound,   
Will produce offsprings three of fair.   
All three shall be correctly found,   
But the last shall save all of Earth's pairs.   
  
Beset upon them, pain upon pain,   
To happiness, this is the last path.   
But the reward will put others to shame,   
For a beautiful life they will craft.   
  
Lifetimes between the 5 lines who lived.   
Joy in each other, bound before,   
Each time there was a chance of five   
Of perfectly bound in each of the four.   
  
But in this fifth, there is much woe.   
For their end is here, in pain and more."   
  
  
  


I am the last of the fifth generation of five correctly bound. And it was only me who had three girls. My poor Akane. How lucky she is. I hope that I will be able to help her.   
  
A strange letter came in today. It could be, at the very least, a few hundred years old. It's about the prophecy.    
  


~*~*~  
  
        They never understood what they read.     They never remembered it either.   
  
    Until very soon.

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tbc...   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    ahahahahahhahaha. finally finished it! hehehe. some parts are kinda confusing, even for me, i know... but i'll clear up on that later on... everything, the past and all, with probably clear by the next chapter...   
    gah. i know this chapter was a bunch of mindless shmuck and all. gomen! :p ranma was acting OOC, and so was Akane... even Ryouga! augh. oh well. It's an AU, anyway. haha. @_@ i swear i'll try to make the next chapter a lot nicer... ah... i hope? haha. :p   
  
    ** mga pasasalamat: (thank you's)**     domo arigato gozaimas to all those reviewers who answered my question... ^_^ there was quite a lot of people who respnded, actually... hehe     to **poly**, who wanted more chibi ranma-chans... hehe. hope you liked it! actually, i wasn't planning on putting her in... and i realized that the part when i put her in is actually very significant... that's how ranma and akane first met originally, right?! hehe. thanks for wanting more scenes of her! sorry if it's so short though... xp haha.   
  
    that's it... i actually finished this a long time ago, but i was too lazy to continue it... the middle part was the hardest part to make, i mean with the ryouga treachery and all... oh dear... anyway, hope you guys liked it!   
  
^_^   
    oh yeah, click the little button that says "ok" beside submit review. tell me what you want, what you liked, what you didn't like, what you understood, how much i sucked... whatever. just...   
**REVIEW!!**


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